The Last Day of Summer
by Blackspiderman
Summary: Phineas and Ferb want to end summer with a bang. But the plan could ultimately put Phineas's friendship with Isabella in jeopardy. Meanwhile, Candace does some soul searching and asks herself the big question: what does summer mean to her? Non-canon to "New Adventures"


**Phineas and Ferb**

**The Last Day of Summer**

**Fanfiction Summary: The last day of summer has arrived. Phineas and Ferb want to end their vacation with a bang. Meanwhile, Isabella begins to feel that Phineas doesn't want to be her friend anymore when he starts spending all of his time working on his last summer invention, and Candace does some soul searching to figure out what summer vacation means to her.**

**Disclaimer: _Phineas and Ferb _does not belong to me. It belongs to _Dan Povenmire _and _Jeff Swampy Marsh_, who have done an amazing job with this show the past 5+ years. Here's to 5+ MORE years!**

* * *

Last Day of Summer Vacation.

Those were the five words Phineas and Ferb did not look forward to hearing.

It was the five words they didn't want to see on their calender.

And yet...there they were. Right on their calender hanging on the refrigerator. Right on the date _September 4th. _Phineas and Ferb couldn't even find the right words to express their distress. "Do you see what I see, Ferb?" Phineas asked his stepbrother. All Ferb could do was nod. "Then this isn't a dream. This is real. We only have one day of summer left." The fear in Phineas' face was legitimate. All summer long Phineas had aspired to make each and every day of his vacation count. From the various trips into space to making an alien friend in Meap to traveling all around the world to make the longest summer day ever, Phineas & Ferb had done it all.

Still, the thought of summer ending and the boys having to return to school slightly intimidated Phineas. As he and Ferb both pondered the thought they were presented, their sister Candace came into the room. "What are you guys staring at?" She asked without even glancing.

"The calender." Phineas responded. Candace turned her attention to the calender and instantly figured out what they were looking at.

"Oh, I get it. It's the last day of summer and you guys are bummed." She said. "Once you guys go back to school you won't have time in the day for all of your crazy inventions."

"Well, at least not one for every day." Ferb pointed out.

Candace started to gloat, but then realized that her brothers felt genuinely disappointed by this. Although their inventions and the fact that their mother could never see them constantly frustrated her, she did not want to hurt them this way. Deep down inside of her, she knew that they never did any of the stuff they did to hurt or aggravate her. They were just really good at what they did and secretly she was jealous.

"Well, you'll still have the weekends." Candace said in an effort to cheer them up. "I mean, I know it's not everyday like you would like, but it's better than nothing, right?"

Phineas pondered on this thought for a brief moment. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I guess it's just a weird feeling. I mean, it's almost like summer's lasted forever, you know."

"5 years and change to be exact." Ferb added.

"And as much as I'm not looking forward to seeing our summer vacation end, I think we should end it with a bang." Phineas said to Ferb. "You know what I mean? One final project to end all projects! When we're done tonight, everyone in the Tri-State Area is gonna remember this summer! Are you with me?"

Ferb thought about it, then shrugged & smiled.

"Great! Let's get to work!"

So Phineas & Ferb got straight to work. They grabbed all of their tools and supplies and started working in their backyard. The trick was that they didn't want any of their friends to find out what they were doing. They wanted their final project to be a surprise for everyone, and while Buford, Baljeet & Irving took it well, there was one who wasn't so keen on the idea.

"Hi Phineas!" Isabella squealed as she entered the backyard; she was as cheery as ever. "What'cha doin'?"

"Making our last project for the summer!" He answered back as vaguely as possible.

"Can I help?"

"Uh...t-that's OK. Ferb and I are fine. We don't need any help."

"Oh." Isabella was not used to being rejected like this. It was one thing when Phineas would "reject" her romantic gestures (notice how I used quotes there) but it was an entirely different thing to be turned down when it came to one of his projects. "A-Are you sure? I-I don't mind..."

"I promise you we're fine."

"Alright." She looked away for a brief moment before returning her attention to them. "Can you at least just tell me what you're doing?"

"Hmm..." Phineas looked at Ferb. He promptly shook his head. "Sorry Isabella."

Frustrated, she turned around and left. "Fine." She said as she walked out. Though she showed signs of frustration on the outside, on the inside she felt her heart start breaking. "Oh no. What's going on? Phineas has never turned me away when it comes to one of his projects. He wouldn't even tell me what it was." She could feel tears start to well up in her eyes. "Does he...does he not want me to help him because he..." She sniffled back some tears. "...he doesn't like me?"

Though she was questioning everything around her, she pulled herself back together. "No...no that can't be it! Phineas isn't like that! He may be the most oblivious boy in the world, but he's not a jerk. He wouldn't just keep something like this from me unless there was a good reason. M-Maybe it's supposed to be a surprise. Maybe...maybe a surprise for me...?"

Suddenly her eyes began to light up with hope renewed. "Yeah, m-maybe that's it! Maybe it's a surprise for me!" Though she really wanted to believe so, on the inside she was still uncertain.

* * *

While Phineas and Ferb worked on their project, Candace spent time at Stacy's house discussing their plan to attack the new year of high school.

"So Candace, did you finish all your school shopping?" Stacy asked as she rummaged through her closet.

"Yep. I got all my books and everything." She responded. "And I assume you have all of your outfits ready too?"

"Hmm...not really. I'm still debating on what I'm going to wear for the first day tomorrow. But compared to the summer paper I had to write, picking out my outfit to start the sch-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Back up, Stace." Candace interrupted. "_School paper?_ What's that about?"

Stacey started grimmicing. "Ohh...I-I thought you knew."

"Knew what?"

"I had no idea you were saw knee-deep in busting your brothers you completely blew off the assignment."

"What assignment?"

"Our English teacher, Mr. Davenport, assigned us a summer paper that he wants on his desk when class starts tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? Are you sure?"

"Pretty sure. I stayed up late last night trying to finish it. I can't believe you totally blew it off!"

"I must've been so busy trying to bust my brothers I never even gave it a thought!" Candace started to panic. "This is just great! This is _just_ how I wanted to start the new year: with an F!"

Stacy took Candace's shoulders. "Candace, calm down...it's going to be fine. You still have today to do it."

Candace's breathing slowed a little as she started regaining her composure. "You really think I can get it done by tomorrow?"

"Candace, if you can travel the entire globe in less than a day with your brothers and their friends, then I'm sure you get write a silly little paper in one day."

"You know what? You're right, Stacy. I _can_ do this. So what am I supposed to do, anyway?"

"Uh, hang on. Let me check." Stacy went to her desk and rummaged through her papers. She settled on one, pulled it out of the pile, and gave it to Candace. "Here. It's the requirement sheet for the paper. I don't need it anymore."

Candace glanced over the requirement sheet quickly to be certain she had everything covered. The more she read, the more her eyes widened and the more her panic returned to her.

* * *

"...a five page report!" She shouted, sitting at her kitchen table with a stack of papers and a pencil beside her. "A five page report. Can you believe that, Mom?" She turned to her mother, who was busy washing dishes.

"Well, honey, that's high school for you. The work is tougher and teachers expect your papers to be in on time. And they don't take any nonsense from anybody."

"I'm not even mad about the five pages thing. When he said I had to "write" this paper, he meant actually write it. Not type it on a computer and then print it out. I have to actually write it, as in with a No. 2 pencil and actual lined paper. Who does that?"

"Perhaps this wouldn't be a problem if you didn't spend so much time trying to "bust your brothers."

"Mom, please. I don't have time for your sarcasm. I've got one day to do this!"

"Alright, Miss Snappy Pants." Linda went over to her daughter and kissed her on the cheek before leaving. "Let me know if you need any help." She left the kitchen and went into the living room, leaving Candace all by herself.

Candace stared at the paper in front of her - the one that gave her the precise instructions she had to follow to complete her assignment. "'_Describe in a five page essay what Summer means to you.' _What does Summer mean to me? How should I know? I've spent the entire summer trying to bust my brothers!" As Candace continued to ponder over her paper, Phineas came in from the backyard and went to the refrigerator to get himself and Ferb some lemonade. "Hey, little bro. What are you guys up to?"

"It's a surprise." Phineas said smiling. "You and everyone else will just have to wait until tonight."

"What happened before? I heard Isabella got upset or something..."

"I guess maybe she was disappointed we wouldn't let her help us. I told you we're making it a surprise for everyone, especially her, and her knowing what we're up to would totally ruin the surprise."

"And as much as I would love to ask what your surprise is, I've got other things to do."

"Like what?"

"Well I've spent so much of my summer trying to bust you guys that I completely forgot I had this Summer paper assignment due the first day of school."

"On what?"

"My teacher wants me to write a paper on what Summer means to me. But I have no idea what to write about. I've been so busy trying to bust you guys that I haven't really done anything this Summer except-"

"What do you mean you haven't done anything?"

"Well, I-"

"You've done plenty of stuff! You were the Queen of Mars! You were a fashion mode! You traveled the entire glove in one day! Heck, you were even the Queen of Ants one time!"

"Yeah, but all of those were done at yours and Ferb's hands. I've never really done anything myself that I can tie-in with Summer."

"Oh no? What about when you learned how to parallel park?"

"Also thanks to you guys."

"We only built the course and gave you the truck. You still had to learn it yourself. And you did."

"Well-"

"And you're also extremely brave. Remember when we were in space and you were all panicky? We were in trouble up there and you helped us get back to Earth safely. We would still be up there if it wasn't for you."

"R-Really? Do you mean that?"

"Yeah, I'm dead serious, Candace. You've done a lot of amazing things this summer. Even if it was with our help, it still counts for something, right?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Well good luck on your paper. Ferb and I have to get back to our project." Phineas waved to Candace as he went back outside leaving Candace to her thoughts once again.

* * *

The day passed by rather uneventfully. Phineas & Ferb spent their day working on their project: a fireworks spectacular that they would unleash at the day's end. Isabella continued to try and poke her way through to get a peek, but Phineas would have none of it. Each attempt to get through only made her more frustrated, and it only intensified her belief that Phineas did not want to be her friend anymore.

Meanwhile, Candace tried ever so hard to work on her paper. But she didn't really have any ideas to work with, and the more time passed, the more irritated she became. She blamed only herself for her predicament. But as her frustration mounted, the only words she was able to put down were her name, the title of her paper, and the world "The." By now outside the sun began setting.

She slammed her head on the table in anger. Her mother walked into the kitchen and saw her frustrated daughter. "Still working on that paper, I see."

"I can't believe I can't think of anything to write for my paper!" She shouted. "This is so humiliating!"

"Why don't you take a break?" Linda suggested. "If you're having a writer's block, sitting there and not writing isn't gonna help. Why don't you come outside with us. I heard there's gonna be a fireworks show starting in just a few minutes."

Candace sighed and relented. "Oh, alright. I suppose it can't get any worse than this." So she stood up and followed her mother to the front door where they went outside to join Lawrence, who was sitting on the lawn. "Where are Phineas & Ferb?"

"I don't know, but wherever they are I'm sure they'll enjoy the show as well."

Phineas and Ferb were all the way out in Danville Park setting up the fireworks display. They had an incredible show planned and both brothers were confident all of their friends would enjoy it. Of course, they had Buford, Baljeet, and Isabella with them. While Buford & Baljeet were content with not knowing what Phineas & Ferb would do for their final summer project, Isabella was borderline bitter about it, and it showed in her face.

"Are you guys ready for the most extraordinary display of summer-ending fun ever?" Phineas shouted in an attempt to hype up his friends. Buford & Baljeet joined in, but Isabella remained silent. "Great. Ferb, would you do the honors?"

Ferb gave him a thumbs-up and then turned on their machines. Within seconds, dozens of rockets launched from their pads into the sky, setting off an incredible display of fireworks. In town, everyone stopped and gazed at the sky, completely dumbstruck by the beauty. Buford & Baljeet were also amazed. Isabella remained stone cold. In fact, barely a minute into the presentation, she turned around and decided to go home.

"Isabella?" Phineas asked. "Where are you going?" She wouldn't turn around to face him.

"I'm going home."

"But you'll miss the big show!"

"I've got school in the morning and I don't want to oversleep." She spoke in a monotone voice.

"We've all got school in the morning, but what better way to start the school year off than with a fireworks display?" While Phineas & Isabella were talking, Ferb took the opportunity to try and diffuse the tension. He slipped in front of Isabella the blueprints to the fireworks display in the hope that she would notice and then understand why they kept it a secret from her.

"I just don't want to watch!" She turned around and faced him. Her face was red with anger.

"But why not?"

"Why not? I'll tell you why!" She was about to explode, and with that Buford & Baljeet slowly walked away to watch the fireworks from a safer place. "All day long I have been wanting to help you guys with this. You've always let me help you and now all of a sudden you say no?"

"Well-"

"You know, I was actually starting to think that you didn't want me to help you because you didn't want to be my friend anymore! I told myself that it wasn't true and that it was gonna be a great day, but clearly I was wrong! You wouldn't even allow me the decency of knowing what you guys were up to!"

"But Isabella-"

"If you don't wan me as a friend, then that's fine! Consider our friendship over!" Without even realizing it, she bent down and picked up the blueprints in front of her. She began skimming them. "And don't even think for one second that this beautiful display of fireworks that you have dedicated to me at the end of your show can fix what..." She slowly came around. "...you..." She then turned her full attention to the blueprints, skimming them over. She noticed the amazing display that Phineas had dedicated entirely to her at the end of the show.

"Hey!" Phineas shouted and pulled the blueprints from her. "You weren't supposed to see that!"

"T-There's an entire display...dedicated to me!" She said, her eyes filling with tears of joy. "Dedicated entirely to me!"

"Yeah. It was gonna be a surprise." Phineas saw that Isabella was coming around. So, he decided to play a little trick on her. "But...now that I think about it, I think we're just gonna skip that part."

Then Isabella came back to, and appeared upset again. "W-What? No!"

"Yeah. I mean, we had displays dedicated to each and every one of our friends. But since you're not my friend anymore, there's really no reason to have it. Right?"

Isabella was deathly silent. Her worst fears were coming true but not in the way she even envisioned.

"I mean when you really think about it, it was really a waste of time to begin with. I don't know what I was thinking with-"

His plan to mess with Isabella hit a big snag when she suddenly started crying loudly. She poured her soul into her tears and ran off to a nearby tree to hide behind. "I-Isabella?" Phineas immediately became worried. He only wanted to mess with her, not make her cry. "Oh no, this is terrible. I didn't want to make her cry. I just wanted to make her sweat. Isabella!" He ran off after her, grabbing some flowers along the way.

He found her in a fetal position behind a tree, sobbing loudly. He threw the flowers on her, then ran to get some more. He repeated this process several times until Isabella showed signs of calming down. "P-Phineas?" She looked up and wiped her tears away. She instantly saw PHineas dropping flowers next to her, also showing tears in his eyes. "Phineas, what is all this?"

"This..." He started, fighting tears and losing. "This is an apology. Isabella, I am so sorry I did that to you. I-I don't know what I was thinking! I wasn't trying to hurt you back there."

"Well, you did!" She sniffled back some more tears. "It feels like you tore my heart out."

"All because you were upset that I wouldn't let you in on our project? Doesn't this seem a little silly to you?"

She gave a little smile. "I guess so."

"Hold on. I'll get more flowers for you." He started to run off before being stopped.

"No, Phineas! Wait!" She shouted. "That's OK. You don't have to."

"But I thought that-"

"Listen, Phineas...I-I really liked the display you were going to put on at the end."

"You did?"

"Yes. It was beautiful."

"Then why did you get so upset before?" Phineas dropped the flowers he was holding and sat down next to her behind the tree.

"Because you guys never said I couldn't join in on a project before. I was a little upset. I guess..." Isabella took in a deep breath. She didn't want to reveal that she was madly in love with him, but she didn't have any other explanation. "I guess I just love hanging out with you so much I felt disappointed when you said I couldn't."

"Really? Y-You love hanging out with me?"

"I sure do."

"Well I love hanging out with you too, Isabella."

Isabella shot a look at him of pure shock. "Really?"

"Yeah, and don't get me wrong. I didn't look forward to keeping this a secret from you, but I figured that the surprise would be worth it in the end. I guess I was wrong. I'm sorry for doing all this to you."

"No, I'm sorry. I had absolutely no right to yell at you like that and I had no right to say we weren't friends anymore. But if you don't want to be my friend anymore after this, I'll understand."

"Not be your friend? That's the dumbest thing you said all summer!"

Again, she displayed shock. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "W-"

"If you weren't my best friend, summer vacation wouldn't be nearly as fun. You make it worth waking up every morning just to invent. I mean, I love inventing with Ferb and he's the greatest stepbrother any kid could any ask for. But the best part of every day is waiting for you to come through the gate to our backyard and greeting me with your signature 'What'cha doin?'"

Isabella was deeply touched. As tears fell from her eyes again, she put her arm around his shoulders. "Do you really mean that?"

"I sure do. And I'm sorry, Isabella. For everything. I don't even know what I was thinking back there. I was just trying to mess with you and instead I made you cry. I'm such a terrible friend!" Phineas was genuinely angry at himself. For his entire life he wanted to be a kind and compassionate person, so any hurt of anger or remiss he showed he blamed entirely on himself.

"Phineas, don't say that! You are an amazing friend. You have done so many good things for me this summer. I've never met anybody as selfless and loving as you. This has been the most amazing summer of my life, and it's all because of you." She wrapped her other arm around his shoulders and hugged him. "That's why I'm sad that the summer's over."

"I'm sad too. But I'm sure we'll all find a way to make the school into something amazing." Phineas gave a chuckle and Isabella joined in. "So...do you wanna get back to the fireworks? Your display is coming up."

"Actually, I was wondering..." She started; she appeared very nervous.

"What?"

"I was wondering if we could just hang out. You know, back at your house? Just the two of us."

"Oh. Uh..."

"U-Unless you would rather watch the fireworks."

"That...that sounds just fine to me. Come on, let's go." He took her hand and helped her up, and they both started heading back to their home. "Ferb are you-" Ferb gave him a thumbs-up to let him know things would be fine with the fireworks. "Thanks, bro." With that in mind, the two set off for Phineas's house. Along the way, Isabella carefully reached for Phineas's hand. She touched in once, but pulled back for fear that he would ask her questions. Instead, he then reached for her hand and held it tightly, never once asking her. They both smiled as they arrived back at the house.

"Hey, guys." Candace greeted them. "Enjoying the show?"

"Actually, we decided we're not going to watch the fireworks." Phineas said to which Candace raised an eyebrow.

"Really?"

"Yeah, we're just going to hang out inside."

"You're not going to watch the rest of the show?" She asked, both shook their heads. "But didn't you and Ferb do this whole show? Don't you guys wanna see it? It's your biggest project ever."

"Maybe, but I've come to realize something, Candace. It's not about how big the project is - it's how they affect those around us. And I say they've done a pretty good job." He looked at Isabella as he said this, causing her to blush. "Besides, I'm probably gonna go to bed early tonight. Tomorrow's the first day of school and I wanna be ready. Right, Isabella?"

"Uh huh." They both went inside - still holding hands - and sat down in front of the TV in the living room. Candace, suspicious as ever, couldn't help but spy on them through the window. She saw them enjoying each other's company. They never let go of each other's hands the entire time. Though it wasn't an outright expression of love that Isabella had craved from Phineas, it was a reaffirmation that Phineas's affection for her runs deeply. In the end, it was a great last day of summer. Candace couldn't help herself. She smiled as they flipped through the channels and laughed.

_What does summer vacation mean to me?_

_I take a look around at my neighborhood and I see people. I see people of different sizes, I see people of different colors, I see people of different perspectives. Everyone treats summer vacation in a different way. For some, it's a time of leisure and relaxation; it's a time to find a new hobby or try to conquer a fear. For others, it's a time of questions; it's a crossroads and the path you take can redefine you for the rest of your life._

_For me, summer vacation is an opportunity._

As the fireworks show ended, the finale played: it was a grand tribute to Isabella. Rockets blew up in the sky displaying her face in full view, and then a display of Phineas's face came on. Most of the folks watching assumed that for Phineas, it was a grand announcement of affection for her. But in Phineas's view, it was merely a chance for her to get the recognition of friend that he felt she deserved.

After both of their faces disappeared, many tiny rockets fired into the sky and they blew up into tiny hearts, earning more adoration from the folks watching.

_It's an opportunity to explore the endless boundaries life has to offer, and then break through them and discover new boundaries. It's an opportunity to search your soul and figure out who you are or who you want to be. The world is an amazing place and there are so many amazing unknowns to discover. But without the courage or the determination to unlock those unknowns, life is nothing more than an empty shell of disappointment and boredom._

_That's why I'm proud to have two of the greatest brothers anyone could ever ask for._

_Phineas and Ferb have changed my life more than I'll ever tell. They have an uncanny ability to push beyond known limits and discover new possibilities. Even though they annoy me on a daily basis, I can't possibly imagine summer vacation - or life - without them. Every day new boundaries are discovered because of them. Every day I learn something new about myself because of them. My two brothers are the definition of summer vacation._

_If there were more people out in the world that were like Phineas and Ferb, this world would be a much more fun and exciting place to live in. I hope that my two brothers are able to inspire those around them to embrace life the way they do. If they can inspire even one person to get out there and explore the world, and search for their true identity, then they've done a good job, because at the end of the day, that's what summer vacation means to me._

She flipped the page on her essay, having just finished reading it outloud to Phineas, Isabella, and Ferb, who had just arrived after the fireworks show had ended.

"Wow. Candace, that was beautiful." Phineas remarked.

"I'll say." Isabella also agreed.

"You sure have a way with words." Phineas also agreed.

"Yes. Yes I do." Candace responded as she stared at the papers in front of her. She smiled widely for a brief moment, but then frowned. "Too bad I still need 4 more pages."

**The End.**

**Well, there you have it. I hope you enjoyed my entry for the "best PnF Author" contest run by humanusscriptor. This story is completely non-canon to any of my other stories. Let me know what you think while I continue working on my next "New Adventures" update.**

**And remember, Comic-Con for Phineas & Ferb is this Friday at 4 PM Eastern, 1 PM Pacific. Can't wait to hear what juicy stuff Dan & Swampy will reveal!**


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